Advice For Before We Get Our Fluval Edge

[Belstar]

Hi,

I stumbled upon this forum whilst researching the Fluval Edge.

We have wanted an aquarium for a number of years now but were waiting for our son to be that little bit bigger/older so that he could also join in responsibly in the fishes care.

We have decided on freshwater tropical and are intending to eventually have the tank full of the following:

2 x Guppy's (Poealia reticulata)
1 x Honey Gourami
4 x Neon Tetra
2 x Cherry barbs

I have the following questions and would welcome your advice

1. Is the quantity of fish that I have mentioned ok for the Fluval Edge, if not, what would you suggest?
2. Which fish should be introduced to the tank first?
3. Over what period of time should the others be introduced?
4. Will the Fluval heater be more safe to use if it is positioned behind the Zen Wall Decor Ornament?
5. Would you recommend leaving a 5-10 mm gap from the top of tank to increased the surface area or will stocking the tank with a selection of plants and a pump suffice?
6. What plants would you suggest?
7. Any other suggestions or comments you think I would find useful.

Many thanks,

Belstar

 

[JohnRossDele]

welcome to the forums Belstar!

in my opinion the fluval edge is very pricey and a waste of money, as it can only hold 23 litres and you would be better off getting a bigger aquarium for the around the same price

may i suggest the hagen elite style 35 litre or hagen marina 35 litre

http/www.cupargardencentre.co.uk/products/15156-Elite-Style-35-Tropical-Set.html
http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/Hagen-Marina-Style-35-Tropical-set-/300485494076?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item45f654c53c

to answer your questions...

1) if you were to buy the hagen elite/marina 35 you could have

x6 neons
x1 gourami
x4 guppies

and that would have you fully stocked. As for the cherry barbs, they can be extreme fin nippers and will not mix with the guppies and gourami.

2) please choose a fish less cycle

3) refer to above

6) artifical should be fine, personal choice

7) choose your fish by how colourful and healthy they appear to be.

regards and goodluck

JRD

 

[Flute]

First of all, welcome to the forum

I don't have any experience with Fluval edges myself, but I have heard that labyrinth fish (fish that breath air from the surface) such as gourami and betta might struggle in such a tank.
Also neon tetra and cherry barbs need to be in groups of at least 6, and neon tetra aren't good as beginners fish as they can be quite delicate and often can't handle the stress of a newly set up tank.

I don't know if you've researched into the cycling process of a new tank, if you click here you can find all the information that you could possibly need on how to start your tank going: Clcik here!

 

[Belstar]

Thanks guys,

I appreciate your suggestion as to an alternative for the Edge, but we have our heart set on that at the moment.

We will swap the barbs to make up the neons to 6. I had read that neons preferred to be introduced to a more mature tank so we were going to leave those at least 6 months before we got those. Hence the question as to which type of fish to get first - we intend to build them up over time or should I not worry too much (neon's excepted) about that?

 

[nessar]

If you have done a fishless cycle, as long as you are turning over a decent amount of ammonia every 12 hours, you could introduce most of your stock (excepting the neons) straight away. I wouldnt reccommend a fish-in cycle, all the water changes and dechlorinator make it pricey and hard work. In contrast a bottle of ammonia from boots is less than £3.

I expect you've chosen the edge for its looks, I agree it is lovely. That's fine, although your gourami may struggle to breathe the air, so you would want to lower the water level so he can access the surface all round the tank, which actually ruins the seamless , modern look of the edge
So maybe if you want the edge for the 'look' either don't get labyrinth fish like gouramis, or lower the water.
Or you could change to another tank. Pets at home do tanks the same size starting at £20 - that is why the edge is considered expensive for what it is.

If you do want plants I would get some easy ones to start with - straight vallis is a fast grower and despite my failing to keep most plants it has done well in my tank, also moss balls are a nice decoration.

I would personally say that 2 guppys, a honey gourami and 6 neon tetras is a bit too much with a tank of 21 litres. The illusion of the edge is that it looks bigger than it is. As you want the edge, I'd say dont get the gourami and maybe lose a guppy as well. If you want more variety, a couple of ghost shrimp will hardly add to your bioload. Personally I wouldn't have the neons, as I think when space is limited non-shoaling fish give more character to the tank than a tank full of the same fish swimming about together. But then some people like the look of the shoal and it is impressive to watch when they are in larger numbers.

EDIT: also remember that by lowering the water, you reduce the capacity of the tank even more, so can hold less fish.

 

[Belstar]

Nessar,

good point about lowering the level of the water - we hadn't thought about that and its' effect on the capacity.

I had read some previous posts about the gouramis and though concerns were voiced, the fish worked out where to go up for air so I was feeling pretty relaxed about them. That said, that's also why I asked the question about the air pump - will that make a huge difference for them?

Thanks again,

Bel

 

[nessar]

I have never kept gouramis in a tank with low water surface so I cannot answer that for sure, however I will try The importance of water surface area is so that gasses can be exchanged (carbon dioxide for oxygen) and the water remains high enough in oxygen for the fish to breathe. That is why long tanks can hold more fish than tall tanks - the water surface area is greater in the long tank. For this reason, I would reccommend you stock your tank with less fish than are usually reccommended for the usual same size tanks.

In a tank with little gas exchange you get fish gasping at the surface, unable to get enough oxygen. This is the reason air pumps are reccommended. The more the water is agitated the more gas is exchanged. The bubbles do not aerate the water as they travel through it, as is commonly thought, but they help with gas exchange when the bubbles pop on the surface. The filter can also help agitate the water, by having the flow set just above the water level. In a tank with such low surface area as the edge, I would personally understock and definately use a pump.

I'm not sure how much this will help the gourami, but it is worth trying. It will definately benefit your other fish, who rely solely upon the oxygen disolved in the water. The problem with the edge that I have heard is that the filter creates a fairly strong current right where the opening is. So for the fish it is hard work to get the opening, gouramis are also not very strong swimmers. However it is possible to do.

If you do get the edge and gourami, definately make sure you have a hospital tank, as I doubt a ill and weak fish will be able to cope long with going to the surface in those conditions.

 

[JohnRossDele]

Nessar,

good point about lowering the level of the water - we hadn't thought about that and its' effect on the capacity.

I had read some previous posts about the gouramis and though concerns were voiced, the fish worked out where to go up for air so I was feeling pretty relaxed about them. That said, that's also why I asked the question about the air pump - will that make a huge difference for them?

Thanks again,

Bel

gourami's breath straight from the air so an air pump will not make a difference...

an alternative if your not keen on lowering the water line so the gourmai can breath, would be 3 white cloud mountain minnows

 

[Belstar]

Hi, thanks for the brilliant advice.

We will be visiting some stores this weekend to view the fish on our shortlist to make a final decision.

Next week, we will purchase our fishtank and get it set up so hopefully levels etc are ok by Christmas or New Year at the latest.

I wonder if my son will fall for 'the fish tank's really a water feature' for the duration of the cycling as I will need to set up it up where it will be permanently!

Will keep you posted,

Bel

 

[bubble87]

the gourami is a really bad idea please re-think that one
p.s great post nessar

 

[fluttermoth]

I wonder if my son will fall for 'the fish tank's really a water feature' for the duration of the cycling as I will need to set up it up where it will be permanently!

Well, you can try! How old is your young man? I've found that letting your children help with testing during the cycle helps a lot. They can then understand why you're not getting fish right away, plus most kids like messing about with test tubes; makes them feel like scientists. Even if they're not old enough to actually handle with the chemicals, they can help counting the drops and reading off the colours.

 

[nessar]

See if you can get some mature media, it will speed up the process Take your time with the aquascaping too, makes the cycling process seem less boring, he can help choose ornaments, plants etc.

 

[xamy_valox]

Hi Belstar,
I now you have already been given a lot of advice, but just to let you know I have a Fluval Edge, have had it running for just over a year now, and I love it!
A lot of people are quite critical of the Edge because of its size, but other than a few teething problems in the beginning (unfortunately I did a fish in cycle and this prived difficult with my ammonia levels) I have found it a lovely little tank that looks very smart in my living room!
In my tank I have 4 neon tetras, 4 harlequin rasboras, 4 guppies and a Beta (Fighter Fish) and my guppies have recently had babies!
However, once these are big enough I think I will have to give them to my LFS as my tank will be a little crowded.
The tank can prove a little fiddley to clean because of the small opening, but once you have your own system you will be fine.
A lovely tank, and a good choice!!
If you have any issues, please feel free to get in touch with me on here and I'll help as best I can =]
Amy.

 

[Belstar]

Hi Amy, Nessar, Fluttermoth and Bubble,

Sorry for the delay in responding. I thought I had set this up to alert me when someone responded but obviously not!

Fluttermoth, my little man will be 5 on Christmas Eve and you're right, he will love being involved and it is a great idea for him to be involved BEFORE the fish are in the tank. We have decided to get the tank this weekend and start the process so we have weeks to then make a final decision on what fish to have.

Showing my ignorance here but what does LFS stand for - local fish store???

Nessar is it ok to start the cycling and have that go on whilst we aquascape over the coming weeks? Won't introducing items into the tank whilst it's cycling affect the readings, in effect slowing the process down?

Amy, you're right, the Edge can be polarising but if you are having something sat in a room that you are going to be looking at all day, I want it to look reasonably aesthetically pleasing! How have you got on with your neons as the general concesus here is to have 6 and not straight away. The Harlequins were on our list but we chose the gourami ahead of them but again, due to the feedback on here, it looks as though the gourami is now off the list and the rasboras are back on. Never give a woman a choice!

Anyway it's a relief to know that there are so many of you out there that are willing to help and advise - we want to have our fish for life, not just for Christmas

Thanks again guys,

bel

 

[Timmy_Bee]

Local fish store indeed